Meg Munn

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Meg Munn MP
Meg Munn
Member of Parliament
for Sheffield Heeley
Incumbent
Assumed office 
7 June 2001
Preceded by Bill Michie
Born 24 August 1959 (1959-08-24) (age 48)
Sheffield
Nationality British
Political party Labour Co-operative
Alma mater University of Nottingham, University of York

Margaret Patricia Munn (born 24 August 1959, Sheffield), is a politician in the United Kingdom. She is Labour Co-operative Member of Parliament for Sheffield Heeley, and was first elected at the 2001 general election. She is currently a Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

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[edit] Early life

Munn went to Mundella Primary School on Mundella Place in Norton Woodseats then the comprehensive Rowlinson School on Dyche Lane in Jordanthorpe, Sheffield from 1970 to 1977,[1] (the site became Norton College Campus of Sheffield College, but the old school transferred to Meadowhead School across the road in 1988).

She studied languages at the University of York receiving a BA (Hons) in 1981, later gaining an MA in Social Work at the University of Nottingham in 1986 followed by a Certificate and Diploma in Management Studies from the Open University.

She worked as a Social Work Assistant for Berkshire County Council from 1981-6; as a Social Worker for Nottinghamshire County Council from 1986-90, becoming a Senior Social Worker from 1990-2; as a District Manager for Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council Social Services from 1992-6, as Child Services Manager for Wakefield Metropolitan Borough Council from 1996-9; and Assistant Director of City of York Council Children's Services from 1999-2000.

She joined the Labour Party when fifteen, and was a Councillor on Nottingham City Council from 1987-91. Munn was on the Barnsley Regional Board of the Co-operative Group, the UK's largest co-operative society, and the management committee of Wortley Hall, a national co-operative conference centre. She is a member of USDAW and the Co-operative Party.

[edit] Parliamentary career

On 29 June 2007 Munn was appointed as the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office by Gordon Brown in his first reshuffle. She has responsibility for Overseas Territories, South East Asia, Australia, New Zealand and the Caribbean and Central America among other things.[2]

Prior to this Munn was Minister for Women and Equality, based at the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) from May 2005. Munn introduced Civil Partnerships in the UK in December 2005. She was responsible for the Equality Act 2006, and involved in the Work and Families Act 2006. She established the Commission for Equality and Human Rights (CEHR).

Her previous roles include Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to Margaret Hodge, Minister for Children Feb 2004-May 2005. Team PPS for Department for Education and Skills July 2003-Feb 2004. Education and Skills Select Committee 2001-2003, Procedure Select Committee 2001-02.

As a backbencher Munn was closely involved with the Adoption and Children Act 2002; changing national regulations to allow Local Authorities to register body piercing studios; supporting small business, including co-operative and mutual enterprises; encuraging women to go into business; and House of Lord's reform.

She is currently vice-Chair of Progress; she was elected President of the 2006 Co-operative Congress[3] and has previously been Chair of the Women's Committee of the Parliamentary Labour Party (2003-5), Chair of the Parliamentary Co-operative Group (2004-5), vice-Chair of Labour Friends of Israel, vice-Chair of the Labour Movement for Europe and Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Voice group.

[edit] Personal life

She is fluent in German, French and conversational Italian and Spanish. Munn has been an active member of the Methodist Church for 30 years. She is married to Dennis Bates, who is also her researcher at Westminster.

[edit] Publications

[edit] References

  1. ^ Meg Munn MP Official site, retrieved 31 January 2007
  2. ^ Foreign and Commonwealth Office - Megg Munn MP Profile
  3. ^ Congress Presidents 1869-2002, February 2002, <http://archive.co-op.ac.uk/downloadFiles/congressPresidentstable.pdf>. Retrieved on 10 May 2008 

[edit] External links

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Bill Michie		 Member of Parliament for Sheffield Heeley
2001 – present		 Incumbent
Political offices
Preceded by
Tessa Jowell		 Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Women and Equality), Minister for Equality
2005-2007		 Succeeded by
Barbara Follett